Avoid Acid Reflux This Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner! As you begin planning a costume party, decorating for fall festivities, or storing up candy for trick-or-treaters, you may already be anticipating the heartburn you’re certain will accompany your fun night. Halloween seems to mark the beginning of a season of feasting as we fill our buckets and our bellies with candy. But what if this year, you fell asleep happy and content, not with pain and discomfort? 

We’ve a made a list of candies you should avoid and candies that get a green light so that you can enjoy your Halloween like never before!

Heartburn Initiators

These tasty treats are heartburn initiators with the best disguise. But don’t let them fool you. These candies are high in fat or wrapped in chocolate, two of the biggest triggers for heartburn.

• Snickers
• Reese’s
• Toblerone
• Peppermints
• Gobstoppers
• Jaw Breakers
• Gum balls
• Starburst

If you’re a chocoholic, this might be hard one to swallow. Chocolate releases serotonin which relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter and allows acid to move from the stomach and into the esophagus causing heartburn. Hard candies and gum balls increase the amount of air you swallow, which in turn increases the amount of gas and indigestion. Starburst candies contain a lot of acid which triggers heartburn, similarly to peppermint or spearmint. But don’t worry, there are several other delicious candies you can enjoy this Halloween!

Green Light Candies

Whether you’re at a friend’s party, or sorting through your children’s trick-or-treat bag once they’ve gone to bed, here is a list of candy you can snag.

• Candy Corn 
• Sour Patch Kids
• Gummy Bears
• Twizzlers
• Reese’s Pieces
• Hershey’s Kisses

And all of the chocolate lovers sigh. If you need to fill that chocolate void, a few Hershey’s kisses should do the trick. This list includes some favorites that are low in fat and acid content. However, they still contain a lot of sugar and should be eaten in moderation.

Heartburn is something you can certainly avoid this Halloween if you’re willing to make a few changes. So don’t let it ruin your night! But if you experience heartburn on a regular basis, you may have a more serious GI issue. Heartburn can be a symptom of acid reflux and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and should not be taken lightly. If you experience heartburn on a regular basis, schedule an appointment at Carolina Digestive Health Associates. In the meantime, stay smart this Halloween and don’t let those yummy treats trick you into a miserable night of heartburn.